Meave thomson



(No Model.)

M. THOMSON.

Now by marriage M. T. GEDNEY.

TOY. A

@gw-w Hoz/14mg UNITED STATES PATENTv Ormes,

MEAVE Tl'lOlllStDJ, (NOlV Y MARRIAGE MEAVE THOMSON GEDNEBQ) OF NET YORK,N. Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,881, dated January7, 1896.

Serial No. 546,158. (No modelJ To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, MEAVE THOMSON, (now by marriage MEAVE THOMSONGEDNEY,) a citizen of the United Stat-es, residing at New York city, inthe county of New York and State of New York, have in ven ted certainnew and useful Improvements in Toys; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to he a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to toys.

The object of the invention is to produce a toy having an exterior formrepresenting a person or animal. which by its construction will becaused when placed on a level surface in an upright position to moveforward for a distance and then to assume a horizon` tal position andcontinue the forward movement.

With this object in view the invention consists essentially of a framepreferably made of a contour corresponding to that of a person or animalprovided with a propellingwheel or propelling-wheels, a movable weight,and means for causing the weight to move to change the position of thetoy from an upright to a horizontal position.

Further the invention consists of various novel details of construction,whereby the ob ject of the invention is accomplished, the effectivenessof the device insured, and a cheap and simple construction provided.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure lis a side elevation of a toy constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a cent-ral vertical section of the toy, and Fig. 3is a central vertical section of a modified form of device.

In the embodiment of the invention herein shown I have represented it asapplied to a iigure of a boy holding before him a sled, the device beingso constructed that the figure will move forward a short distance in anupright position, and will then assume a horizontal position andcontinue the forward movement, after the manner of a boy running andthrowing himself face foremost on a sled.

It will be clear from an understanding of the invention that it may beapplied, without requiring modification of the parts, to a figurerepresenting a fourfooted animal moving forward at iirst in an uprightposition on its rear legs, and then assuming a position on all fours andcontinuing the forward movement.

In the drawings, A represents a figure of a boy, and B represents asled. The two are preferably formed together in two longitudinalhollowsections, and are of cast-iron, paper or other suitable material, havingtheir meeting edges so formed as to facilitate their being readilyconnected. The interior faces of the sections are con cave in order toprovide a space for the reception of the operating parts of the device.

At the end of the toy which is, at the first of its movement, its lowerend, are four supporting-wheels a and d, one of each form being placedat each side of the toy, and the wheels d being preferably provided withrubber tires for giving frictional contact with the surface over whichthe toy is to run. The wheels a are mounted on a shaft a2, having asquare outer end, and about this shaft is wound a band or stap C, towhich is attached one end of an elastic band c, the other end of theband or strap being attached to the upper part of the toy. Placed at thepoint of juncture between the band or strap C and the elastic band c isa cage D for the reception of a spherical weight D.

The inner faces of the parts A and B have formed with them proj ectingribs a3 h3, which form passages d* leading from a point near the shafta2 to a point a5 near the upper part of the toy, and another passage aleading` from the point a5 to the front of the toy, and thence downwardto the lower end of the passage at. The outer face of the sled portionis provided with wheels E E, which serve to support the toy when thelatter assumes a horizontal position.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the shaft c of oneof the wheels E has wound around it a band c', to which is attached anelastic band e2, the outer end of the elastic band being attached to theframe of the toy. The end of the shaft c is provided with a squareportion for the reception of a winding-key, and it is also provided withIOO A it is placed.

ratchet-teeth e, engaged by a pawl e5, by which the shaft is kept fromturning. The pawl @i is pivoted at a point e, and its end eT is in thepath of movement of the weight C, so that when the pawl is struck by theweight the ratchet-teeth will be released.

In the operation of the device the shaft a? is turned by means of asuitable key placed on its square end, winding the band G around theshaft a2 and extending the elastic band c and bringing the cage D to thelimit of its downward movement. As the cage reaches its lowest position,the spherical weight C', which is at the end of each operation in thepassage e6, enters the cage. When this is done, the toy is placed on alevel surface, in a position to rest on the wheels u d, and the shaft a2released allowing the band c to contract and to impart movement to thewheels o, resulting in the forward movement of the toy. As the band ccontracts, the cage D, carrying the spherical weight D', is raised, andwhen it reaches the limit of its upward .movement the weight moves intothe passage et'. rlhe presence of the weight in the passage a rendersthe forward part of the toy heavier than the rear part, and as a resultthe toy is thrown forward on the wheels E E, on which it will traveluntil its momentum is exhausted.

Then it is desired to cause the toy to move a greater distance thanwould result from the use of the form of device shown in Fig. 2, themodified form shown in Fig. 8 may be elnployed. In this form one of thewheels E is given movement through the elastic band e2, which isextended by winding around the shaft c. Then the weight C comes incontact with the end e7 of the pawl and releases the ratchet e* on theend of the shaft, the wheel E will be given a rotary movement, carryingthe toy along over the surface on which lVhen this form of device isused, it will be seen that after the toy has assumed a horizontalposition its forward movement will be continued until the completecontraction of the band cL takes place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is*

1. A self propelling toy, comprising a movable weight, and provided withmeans for moving the weight to change the position of the toy,substantially as described.

f2. A self propelling toy comprising a movable weight and provided withmeans for moving the weight, and a guide whereby the weight is directedupward and to one side of the center of the toy to change its positionfrom an upright to ahorizontal one, substantially as described.

A toy comprising a supporting wheel, a band wound upon the shaft of thesupporting wheel, an elastic band attached at one end to the band thuswound and at the other end to the frame of the toy, a movable weight forchanging the position of the toy from an upii-ightto a horizontal one,and means for moving the weight, substantially as described.

fx A toy comprising a body having wheels on its lower and forward faces,means ferimparting a forward movement to the toy, a movable weightwhereby the toy is changed from an upright to a horizontal position, andmeans for moving the weight substanti ally as described.

5. A self propelling toy having interior communicating passages, oneleading from a point near the lower end of the toy in an upwarddirection, and the other leading from the upper to t-he lower end of thefirst, through the front of the toy, a weight designed te move in thepassages, and means for raising the weight, substantially as described.

G. A toy having supporting wheels on its i lower and forward faces, aband attached to the shaft of the wheels on the lower face, an elasticband attached at one end of the band so wound and at the other end tothe frame of the toy, a cage attached to the bands, passages in theinterior of the toy, and a weight adapted to be received by the cage andby the passages, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l afx my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

MEAVE THOMSON. lVitnesses:

FRED. G. GEDNEY, E. MoD. HAwKEs.

